Dragon Quest II
|genre=Console role-playing game |modes = Single player |ratings= |platforms=NES/Famicom, GBC (hybrid cartridge), MSX, SFC, Mobile phone |media=2-megabit NES cartridge Floppy disk (MSX) GBC/SFC cartridges |requirements= |input= |series=''Dragon Quest'' }} Dragon Quest II: Akuryo no Kamigami (Japanese: 悪霊の神々, lit. Pantheon of Evil Spirits) also known as Dragon Warrior II in North America is a role-playing game that was initially released for the Famicom in Japan on January 26, 1987. It is the second installment of the Dragon Quest series. Gameplay The game offers three spots to save the game. It also allows deletion and the moving of saved games. To save, find a king or minister and talk to them. As in the first game, the original Japanese version had a password system (or "Spell of Restoration") instead a battery backup (or "Imperial Scrolls of Honor"). Dragon Quest II is noted for greatly expanding the game play from the previous game, Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest II is the first game in the series to feature multiple heroes and enemies in a battle, as well as a sailing ship and travel gates. It was also the first to have weapons which cast spells when used in battles. In addition, Dragon Quest II offers a wider array of spells and items and a much larger world (256 by 256 instead of 128 by 128). To save memory for the multiple monster portraits, the background of the battle screen was removed. So the portraits are shown on a blank black or white background. The chimera wing and Zoom spell will take the party to the last place they saved the game. Characters Prince of Lorasia :See main article: Prince of Lorasia Known as the prince of Midenhall in the original US version, the prince of Lorasia is the classic warrior of the three heroes. He can use any armor and weapon in the game. He has no magic ability (this is the only game in the series in which this is so), but his physical attack and defense are the greatest of the three. This is the character the player starts out with in the castle of Lorasia. His name is directly selected by the player. Prince of Cannock :See main article: Prince of Cannock The prince of Cannock is a blend of the classic warrior and priest archetypes. He cannot use as wide a variety of weapons and armor as the prince of Lorasia but compensates for this with the ability to use magic. However, it should be noted that his magic is not as powerful as that wielded by the princess of Moonbrooke, although he is better at healing magic. This character is hard to track down, but is a great ally. His name is generated from a list of eight names stored in the game data and based on a formula used by assigning numerical values to the letters in the name selected for the prince of Lorasia, although there is a cheat code to alter his name. Princess of Moonbrooke :See main article: Princess of Moonbrooke The princess of Moonbrooke is the classic wizard of the three heroes. She can use few types of armor and weapons in the game. She shares some of the prince of Cannock's magic, but in addition has several powerful damage spells. This character has been cursed and needs to be freed before she will be able to join her cousins. Like the prince of Cannock her name is determined by formula in the game's data, but can be changed by a cheat code. Hargon :See main article: Hargon Hargon is the evil wizard that attacked Moonbrooke, cursed its princess, and threatened to destroy the world. His defeat is the goal of the three heroes. Only after Hargon's defeat can peace return to the world. Plot Dragon Quest II is set 100 years after Dragon Quest. A century of peace is suddenly ended when the evil wizard Hargon destroys the country of Moonbrooke. One lone guard, an injured survivor of the attack, makes his way towards the kingdom of Lorasia. There with his dying breath he informs the king of the dire circumstances. The king then commands his son, the prince of Lorasia and a descendant of Erdrick (also known as Loto in the GBC English localization), to defeat Hargon. The prince is not alone on his quest. He has two cousins, the prince of Cannock and the princess of Moonbrooke. However, he must find them first. The prince of Cannock already left on a similar journey, and the princess of Moonbrooke was in the castle of Moonbrooke when it was attacked. It is up to the prince of Lorasia to find them, join together, and defeat Hargon. Legacy Ports *''Dragon Quest II'' had a port for the MSX platform in Japan. *''Dragon Quest II'' was released in North America, under the name Dragon Warrior II, on the Nintendo Entertainment System in December of 1988. Remakes *''Dragon Quest II'' was remade and combined with Dragon Quest. It was released as Dragon Quest I & II on the Super Famicom and Game Boy Color. Sequels/Prequels Dragon Quest II is the second installment of the Dragon Quest series. Dragon Quest III is the prequel to Dragon Quest, and Dragon Quest is the previous entry in the series. Trivia *A smaller, simplified version of the world of Dragon Quest is included on the world map in Dragon Quest II. *The prologue scene depicting the attack on Moonbrooke was added for the North American release of the game, but included in all subsequent Japanese remakes as well. *''Dragon Quest II'' was the first Dragon Quest game to include a game of chance, a slot-machine-like card game. It is played using lottery tickets distributed randomly by merchants, and prizes are awarded directly if the party wins a game. *''Dragon Quest II'' was also the first Dragon Quest game to use multiple key types, and persistent keys. *''Dragon Quest II'' was the first to have status ailments, and churches for removing them. *''Dragon Quest II'' was the first game in the series to feature pits and tower balconies from which the party can fall. (As always, they take no damage from this.) *The MSX version of the game contained a special scene involving the "Dangerous Swimsuit." This was removed by the time the game made it outside of Japan. Soundtrack Koichi Sugiyama composed the music and directed all the associated spin-offs. Dragon Quest II's symphonic suite was bundled with Dragon Quest I's symphonic suite and a disc of original compositions as Dragon Quest in Concert. Here is the track listing of the Dragon Quest II portion of that release: # Dragon Quest March (1:39) # Only Lonely Boy (2:42) # Pastoral ~ Catastrophe (3:21) # Château (3:03) # Town (3:30) # Fright in Dungeon ~ Devil's Town (4:02) # Requiem (2:09) # Endless World (5:43) # Beyond the Waves (2:13) # Deathfight ~ Dead or Alive (3:56) # My Road, My Journey (4:10) See also ja:ドラゴンクエストII 悪霊の神々 Category:Dragon Quest II Category:Articles on Wikipedia